Most Common Job For Women ‘Same as in the 1950s’. Progress? What Progress?

Today may be International Women’s Day but nothing proves we still have a long way to go than the results of the latest US Census. Being a secretary is still the number one job for women in the US. Four million Americans are working as ‘secretaries and admin assistants’ and 96% of those are women.

Nothing is more depressing for equality than the fact that the most common job for women is the same than in the 1950s. Only 16.6% of women in America hold board-level jobs. In fact, globally, only 10% of workers in executive position are female. A rather depressing statistic.

Fewer than a third of the UK’s most influential jobs are held by women, figures compiled by BBC News show.

Women occupy on average 30.9% of the most senior positions across 11 key sectors analysed by the BBC, including business, politics and policing.

The armed forces and judiciary have the fewest women in top posts – 1.3% and 13.2% respectively – while secondary education has the most (36.7%).

Campaign group the Fawcett Society said progress was still too slow.

“Men outnumber women by four to one in Parliament and only a third of local councillors are women,” the group’s Preethi Sundaram said.

“When we look at the top quarters of power in the political world there are only five women there out of 22… It’s quite an appalling fact really.”

According to the BBC News website’s findings, women represent

1.3% of brigadiers (or their equivalent) and above across the Army, Navy and RAF
13.2% of the most senior judges (High Court and above, including Senators of the College of Justice in Scotland)
14.2% of university vice-chancellors
16.6% of the most senior staff in the police (Acpo ranks and above)
34.7% of the senior civil service

This should be highlighted today and not forgotten. How many articles have you read with a successful women and they always ask them how they juggle having kids with a career, or if it is possible to? They don’t really ask men this question. That is the main problem. Women are still expected to do the bulk of childcare. To have it all and be everything to everyone. A women who puts her career first is judged, but it takes two parents to raise a child.